the kiss  comes slow

the kiss comes slow
somewhere after words
after a hawing that's cautious
like a fox sneaking through the grass
surveying the prey before springing

it's a dance with hesitation:
a gleam in the eye
a breath off the lips
a reach beyond the waist

so what does one do in-between
in the pause
the hesitation to move in either direction
between the "yes" or "maybe"
the 'if"
the cautious "if" of not knowing where you'll go
if the look is "come"?

i watch the mys'try unveil:
Salome bursting with lust to distract the king
to drop his guard before the truth hits home
and he's fallen over himself
to suck the eyes that beckon in




*When we become aware that every stranger is gift, strangers need no longer go through a gift-giving ritual to be accepted.
-Brother David Steindl-Rast, osb

*The crucial question is: How big is our family? How wide is the reach of our belonging? Can we stretch it to the furthest reaches of Gods household? Will our care and concern embrace all members of this Earth Household-humans, animals, plants, whom we now consider strange? The survival of all of us may well depend on our answer.
-Brother David Steindl-Rast, osb